How does one really measure the success of a YouTube creator? Is it simply subscribers? Views? The time spent watching? The quality of the video? The quality of comments? A combination of them all? Special Effects Media look at a combination of factors including how regularly the individual uploads, their subscriber count, the watch time of the channel and the authentic relationship the YouTuber has with their audience.
There are some YouTube creators with a brilliantly powerful online presence that you didn’t know were South African!
Here are six YouTube creators worth keeping an eye on and, of course, subscribing to…
6 South African YouTubers
LibeRebil boasts over 19 000 subscribers, total channel views of over 4 million and a 94% male audience between 18 and 34.
Started and run by Niyaaz Isaacs, LibeRebil is a car enthusiast’s heaven. Niyaaz is so relatable that his audiences trust his opinions and make their purchasing decisions based on the interactions he has with vehicles. Niyaaz has a growth rate of above 60% and works tirelessly on his community. One of his subscribers sold his car and bought a new one solely based on the video released by Niyaaz. That is a powerful influencer.
Yolenda ‘Yolz’ Jawe is currently sitting on above 20 000 subscribers and has over 1.2 million total channel views with a 93% female audience between 18 and 24.
Yolenda’s content is perfectly balanced and focuses on hair, beauty and personal motivation. What makes her such a brilliant creator is her authenticity and ability to always take what she is talking about and building this intimacy with her audience. This is incredibly valuable as her audience knows she will never sell out and cares deeply about her audience. Her knowledge of black hair and beauty makes her an expert in the field and her quality of content sets her apart.
Nhlanhla on Life is a daily upload channel with in excess of 39 000 subscribers, over 13.5 million total channel views, a 76% South African audience and a 60-40 female-male split between the ages of 18 and 34.
The founder, Nhlanhla Hlangu is a young man that lives in KZN and studied in India. Upon his return he wanted to grow an online presence and poured everything into his YouTube channel. He is now fast becoming one of the fastest growing YouTubers in South Africa and you may have never heard of him. An avid fan of the soap operas on South African television, Nhlanhla in a very honest and laid-back way speaks to the various story lines, the characters on screen and the lives of the actors off screen. Nhlanhla doesn’t shy away from controversy and releases a video every single day. His audience is a much sought after demographic in South Africa and Nhlanhla has sway over them through his engaging videos.
Nadia has in excess of 28 000 subscribers, total channel views in excess of 2.4 million. She has a 92% South African audience between 13 and 34. Majority of her viewers are female (84%).
Nadia Jaftha has become a household name. Whenever someone has grown as rapidly as she has in the Instagram and YouTube space, naturally there will be eyebrows that will be raised. But what Nadia has done with her content that no one else has managed to do as well is continuously speak to the human experience and she has remained authentic in that while adding a quirky and entertaining edge to her content. She is creative, witty, dynamic, gorgeous, relatable and has built a solid community around her that help her grow. If your brand is looking for authenticity and a huge community, Nadia is your girl!
With just over 4 000 subscribers and over 280 000 total channel views, Good Looking & Cooking will make you drool with every second viewed. Whether you’re looking for some inspiration for your next dinner party or date or if you just love Claire’s unique quirks, this channel is glossy, well produced and delicious. It’s one of those channels that offers the audience so much in terms of food and entertainment and it offers brands the perfect high production quality and brand safe space to feature organically amidst the tantalising ingredients that make this channel so great.
Aqeelah, the founder of Fashion Breed started a channel in October 2013 which now has in excess of 18 000 subscribers and a million channel video views. Her audience is 97% female and between the ages of 18 and 34.
Fashion Breed Videos is run by South African fashion and beauty digital influencer, Aqeelah Harron Ally, spinning off from her blog, fashionbreed.co.za. The channel focuses on modern modest/demure dressing and beauty, and also features the occasional vlog and challenge! Fashion Breed exploded when in the UAE the modest dressing community fell in love with her content and videos and because her production quality is so high, you sometimes may never guess that she is South Africa. We’re proud to have her representing the SA creator community.
by Danilo Acquisto, CEO of Special Effects Media South Africa
